friday i'm in love...#3 of 2026 (the 🩷 hearty-heart-to-heart 🩷 issue)

the truth is
i might love valentine’s day
more
now that i am
alone
than when i was
with someone.

there is no
wondering if they will remember
causing me to
question
whether or not
i am worthy of being remembered,
or reminding me of a time
when
they always remembered.

there is no expectation,
no disappointment,
no pretending that everything
is ok just the way it is,
that it’s just another day,
a made up consumerism holiday
(when really,
i think we all know
that i love made up consumerism holidays…
i love celebrations and special days
and themes and colors
and a reason to use my fancy stickers
or dress all in pink
or put some food coloring in my ginger ale
and call it “special valentine’s bubbliness”)
(surely you know this about me by now.)

so the heart shaped point i am trying to make
is that, at first, i thought
this day might make me sad
but it doesn’t.
i look forward to it now….
i plan out it out as a day, a weekend, a month
of self-love for myself.

whatever i want.

movies by myself? sure!
a hike in the silent woods, just me and the birds
(and hopefully no coyotes)? check!
should i buy myself some fancy
*insert whatever is the current obsession here
(shampoo? body wash? plants? stickers? markers? candy?)
yes, yes and yes.

and here are some other things i am loving:

🩷 my valentine’s tree….it just makes me happy
🩷 a sleep over with one friend this week and supper date with 2 others another night! *also, shipyard was very good!
🍿 i love emily henry’s books so was really excited to watch
"the people we meet on vacation''
it was good…i debated adding it here as i don’t feel i LOVED it
but i still enjoyed it.
🩷 i found the sweetest surprise in my mailbox from a friend…
a handwritten letter!!! with little surprises!! including
a muppet sticker!!!! (& she also loves muppets so
i knowwwww how hard it is to give up stickers of
something you love…) and the letter was so
thoughtful it made me cry but also
realize how much i appreciate connecting with people…
you just never know what will resonate with someone else.

this is way longer than i meant it to be
but honestly,
i just had a lot of good things i really loved lately….
i couldn’t fit it all
into one post!!

so be prepared for more to come.
happy heart day…i hope cupid finds you
and gives you
whatever it is
that makes you smile.
(and if that’s pink ginger ale
in a fancy glass, that’s ok…
we listen and we don’t judge. heh)

*and also just to say that i am 
also painfully aware
of the incredible sadness 
happening in the world
right now…💔 
so hard to wrap your head 
(or heart) around.

whatcha readin'? 2025 round up

My goal for 2025
was to read 45 books.
I read 47. ❤️
I am pretty happy with that number…
every year, I get a little closer to 50.

What I didn’t do well
was keep up on the “whatcha readin”
part of my blog…haha…
but I am really cutting myself some slack
this year…
it was not a normal year…
(putting that mildly)
(and let’s be honest,
I have no issue cutting myself slack
any year…this blog is pretty much just for me
anyway so if I do it, I do it…
if I don’t, well…pretty sure the
universe is not going to implode. Heh)

I am going to try something new for the recap this year.

I thought I might just list
the 5-heart reads
instead of everything I read.

So with no further ado,
I give you my 2025 5-hearts!

1. Outlive - Peter Attia - read this in Jan 2025 and found it so informative and amusing in places…he kept it very inspiring and interesting even through the technical parts. This is the kind of book I feel like I need to re-read, maybe more than once to truly absorb it.

2. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - VE Schwab - this one stuck with me for a long time. If you know me, you know that I don’t remember a book often after I have read it…(and sometimes even while reading it). But this one stuck…made me think even when I wasn’t really thinking about it. Could it happen, would it work, how would it feel, is it all bad, would I like it to happen to me. *while also bearing in mind it was about a fictional deal made with the Dark…heh.

3. How to End a love Story - Yulin Kuang — if I am completely honest here, I have this 😍😈😍😈😍 instead of hearts….take from that what you will. :)

4. Fable & Saint - Adrienne Young — two books but in the same series. Young adult but I was completely immersed. And the most beautiful cover I have ever seen on Fable. Also Fable is just such a pretty name.

6. One Golden Summer - Carley Fortune — cause a girl has to have a little light rom-com reading, especially when on a rainy vacation in the spring

7. The Last Letter from your Lover - JoJo Moyes — a book I had no expectations for and then ended up loving. (I did watch the movie which I did not enjoy as much as the book, as if often the case).

8 Maybe You Should Talk to Someone - Lori Gottlieb —  was fully intrigued by this book.  Found some parts hard but still, i loved it.

9. Powerless - Lauren Roberts — I was not sure about this at first…the writing felt young…but then once I got into it, I really did love it.  It is YA so that makes sense that it felt young.  And it reminded me a bit of the hunger games…not in a bad way. 

10. The Knight and the Moth - Rachel Gillig — this got way more than 5 hearts. I adored this book.  I loved the gargoyle so much.  It made me laugh at loud in so many places…it reminded me of dragonlance and the characters Tasselhoff and Flint.  The story was so good and I fell in love with the characters.

11. It’s ok that you are not ok - Megan Devine — a book about grief that I wish I didn’t have to read

12. My Friends - Frederik Backman — more than 5 hearts - Pretty much read it in 24 hours.  The writing was like a pulse...thrumming....i cried and laughed within the same sentence.

13. Grief is the Things with Feathers - Max Porter — Another book related to grief suggested by Drogo (chat gbt) did not know it was about the death of a wife/mom, loved the poetic style of writing, the mentions of ted hughes and sylvia plath

14. The Briar Club - Kate Quinn — I was absolutely in love with this story.  I loved Nora and Xavier Bryne the mostest.  ❤️❤️

15. You - Caroline Kepnes — I had watched the show and liked it but the book was sooooo much better.  And don't judge me, but i kinda fell in love with joe.  Heehee 🤷🏻‍♀️

16. Isola - Allegra Goodman — Loved this book, the writing was beautiful. I didn’t realize until later that it was a based on a true story.

17. Atmosphere - Taylor Jenkins Reid — Loved this book, the space details, the view of god as the universe, the writing ❤️

18. The Untethered Soul - Michael Singer — I felt a shift in me as i read this.  And parts of it (God) brought me a huge amount of comfort that i was not expecting.   This is a book i may have to read more than once to fully absorb

19. Hidden Life of Trees - Peter Wohlleben — I struggled a bit as it was very technical in places but still really enjoyed it!  :)

and that is a wrap for 2025’s reading.
I am starting 2026 with a goal of 48 books…
and off to a rotten start at the end of January
with JUST ONE BOOK READ.

I blame the television.
🤷🏻‍♀️

friday i'm in love ... #2 of 2026

January has been a bit of a
sleepy month for me….
a month of self care, new slippers (pink sharks above!),
pjs, tv series, naps, saunas and
shovelling.

Here are some things I am currently loving:
❤️ the movie Yesterday. I was surprised I didn’t already watch it.
But the premise was interesting and
it made me laugh in places.

❤️ this blue jacket which is NOT a winter jacket but
I absolutely adore this thrift store find!

❤️ using the “finch” self care app
❤️ trying to learn French with Duolingo

January always starts off a little strong for me
and then wobbles a bit at the end.
This January was no exception.
But there was definitely some good things this month.
And that is worth celebrating.
(and the days are slowly getting longer and brighter,
so yay for that!)

2026 WORD - nourish {also known as the-year-of-no-goals}

I have been stepping into 2026
quietly….
in my slippers and fuzziest pjs,
hair in a messy bun,
contemplating what I want
for this year
between naps,
work, saunas and
watching the snow fall.

My word for 2026 is nourish.

I didn’t have to think hard about it this year.
Usually there is a list
and lot of pros and cons
and debating and changing of the mind…
but this year,
I know I need nourish.

I want to slow down. To savor.
To notice. To be present.
I want to be mindful of what
I am ingesting…not just food related
(but yes, I think we would all agree that should
be part of it, heh)
but also in every other way….
social media, relationships, tv/movies/music….

how am I spending the finite amount of time
I have…the days, the hours, the minutes…
what really feeds me, what makes me feel satiated.
What makes me feel calm.
What gives me butterflies in my belly.
But also, what calms my central nervous system.

I am not setting goals this year.
But I am focusing on some defined pillars and
adjusting my choices with these things in mind.

I just want to find some calm.
Some quiet peace.
2025 was hard. Harder than I ever fucking imagined.

I just need a little slow softness now.
🩷🩷🩷

friday i'm in love....#1 of 2026

Hello, Friday.
I am happy to see you.

This has been a busy
but good week filled with lots
of happiness and insights and connection.
I have plans for 2026
but part of that includes moving into this new year
slowly,
gracefully…easily…and quietly.

BUT….

HERE ARE SOME THINGS I AM CURRENTLY LOVING:
📺I stumbled upon a series called “Little Disasters” and I was completely invested. I couldn’t figure out what happened, who to blame or if there was even anyone to blame. I give this 5 ❤️’s (it’s on Paramount if you want to check it out).

🎥🍿OK. Hear me out on this one. It’s a movie called “threesome” and yes, it is about a threesome. Haha. But it was so good. I adored each of the characters and was rooting for them all in their own broken little ways. Cause I fully relate to broken.

💛early morning “get the sun in your eyes” walks through the park

📺I know this feels like a lot of tv in this one but cut me some slack…it’s January. Heehee. I may be late to the game on this one but I have been watching The Diplomat on Netflix and it’s sooooo good. I don’t normally love political but this is keeping my attention. Plus…there’s Hal. Heh.

🍳I have been eating “egg bites” every morning instead of buying a bagel or muffin at work and I am loving them. But going to try making my own this weekend. Fingers crossed. Heh.

Also, I am working on picking
my 26 books in 2026 to read…..
I plan to read more than that
but I like this idea as part of the bigger picture.
Any suggestions that you loved or
are really excited about?

Happy Friday wherever you are
and yes, that even includes those of you
sunning in warm temps while we
slog it out in the snow. ❄️